


hermes for a day

by knoxoursavior



Category: The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-03
Updated: 2015-11-03
Packaged: 2018-04-29 18:15:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5137733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/knoxoursavior/pseuds/knoxoursavior
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gaby acts as a one-time messenger for Professor Solo.</p>
            </blockquote>





	hermes for a day

History of Art is always an experience, though Gaby could probably learn more if her professor weren’t such a chronic flirt. Time that could be spent discussing the finer points of how certain art movements emerge from different time periods and different cultures is instead dedicated to shameless innuendos and likely inappropriate displays like kissing students’ hands or cheeks.

Admittedly, Professor Solo’s young, and definitely attractive enough to not be considered a creepy pervert when he makes said moves, but still. When Gaby signed up for his class, she thought the positive reviews on the student forums meant she’d be learning a lot about art this semester, not about how easily people in their early twenties swoon over an older man’s broad shoulders and chiseled jaw.

So yes, she’s not Professor Solo’s biggest fan, but instead of fading into the background like most students would, Gaby considers it her duty to make this class go at a pace she wants it to. She sits at the front and the moment he seems like he’s angling to flirt, she raises her hand and proceeds to surprise him with a difficult question. She’s done it enough times to be annoying, though she thinks Professor Solo would never show that he thinks so, eternally calm and amused as he is.

Until, that is, the day he asks her to stay behind after class.

“Sir? You wanted to talk to me?” Gaby asks, trying her best to keep her face straight.

“Ah, yes,” Professor Solo says. He’s fixing his things, putting his laptop away and arranging the papers in his folder. He only spares her a glance. “You’re taking an Architecture class under Professor Kuryakin, aren’t you, Miss Teller?”

“Yes, sir,” Gaby says, though it sounds more like a question than anything else. She’s not quite sure where this is going.

“Yes, well—ah.” Professor Solo procures an envelope from his bag. He’s looks the most awkward Gaby’s ever seen him. “I need you to give this to him. It’s very urgent but I’m afraid I won’t be able to see him the whole day. Meetings and all, you know how it is.”

It’s obviously a lie, which says something about how odd a situation this is because Professor Solo is usually a very good liar. There are stories about his poker skills, scary enough that absolutely no one wants to play with him anymore.

Still, Gaby can’t exactly refuse him.

“Is there anything you want me to tell him?” she asks.

Professor Solo opens his mouth, looks like he does want to say something—but then he bites his lip and shakes his head. “No. No, that will be all, Miss Teller.”

Gaby takes it as a dismissal. “Alright, sir,” she says, giving him a small wave before she adjusts her backpack and walks out of the room.

She has three hours before her class with Professor Kuryakin, and already she feels tempted to tear open the envelope and see what’s inside.

 

 

 

See, when you think of the Department of Architecture and Art, you don’t think of the hipster students or how difficult the different curricula must be. You think of Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin.

While they’re two of the youngest professors in the department, they’re also the ones whose classes are always booked, the slots always fought over. They’re both attractive, see, so it’s understandable. Another understandable things is the pressing need to see them _together_ , so that the attractiveness doubles and it feels like the world could end then and there but it’d be okay because the last thing in people’s minds would be those two attractive people _interacting_.

The problem with this fantasy is that whenever Professor Solo and Professor Kuryakin are in the same room together, they just seem to freeze up and run in opposite directions. It’s one the department’s greatest mysteries, and so there are tons of theories about it.

One theory is that they were friends when they were students, but had a fight over a girl and so parted on less than amicable terms. That theory makes everyone sigh, of course. Nothing but a good drama with lots of tears and love triangles to excite people.

Another theory is that they’re estranged half-brothers who still don’t talk after their mother died, which frankly makes no sense because as far as Gaby knows, Professor Solo’s an orphan, and Professor Kuryakin’s mother is alive and well back in Russia. Though she only knows this because Professor Waverly’s rather a talker and has said in one of his classes that Professor Kuryakin still carves her wooden figurines for her birthday. They’re rather beautiful, Professor Waverly said, and proceeded to show the class a small wooden gazelle he managed to persuade Professor Kuryakin to make for him.

Gaby’s favorite theory is the one where they’re secretly pining for each other, though. For one, if they do get together somehow, maybe it’d make Professor Solo stop flirting with all his students, which means more time for actual art history aka what she paid for with her tuition money. Plus, maybe it’d make Professor Kuryakin a bit more lenient with his grading. She still cannot believe how many points he docked off her last essay just because of one apparently unnecessary sentence.

So yes, she definitely wants to know if the envelope contains some sort of love letter, but she controls herself. She’s a respectful student, she tells herself. She is a decent human being. Definitely.

 

 

 

When she hands Professor Kuryakin the envelope, she can see his hands trembling and his cheeks reddening. This is one of the most exciting days of Gaby’s life.

Professor Kuryakin clears his throat. “Yes, thank you, Miss Teller,” he says, tucking the envelope behind his back. “If you don’t need anything else, you may go.”

“See you next week, sir.” Gaby grins at him and, feeling surprisingly mischievous, holds a thumb up in a wish for good luck. “I hope you and Professor Solo sort out whatever this whole thing is about.”

Professor Kuryakin narrows his eyes, but Gaby hasn’t explicitly said anything rude and is actually one of his top students, so he lets her off the hook.

“Thank you, Miss Teller. You may go.”

 

 

 

The next time Professor Solo and Professor Kuryakin are in the same room, Professor Solo’s hand is comfortable on the small of Professor Kuryakin’s back, and what’s remarkable about it is that neither of them is getting punched or glared at.

Gaby count it as a win.

**Author's Note:**

> hit me up on [tumblr](http://connerkent.tk/)!


End file.
